Netflix Acquires 3D Printing Docu ‘Print The Legend’

Print The Legend received the Special Jury Recognition Award for Editing & Storytelling in the Documentary Feature Competition at the recent SXSW Film Festival. Today Netflix announced it has acquired the rights to the film that goes behind-the-scenes of the top American 3D printing brands as they fight for dominance in the rapidly developing, groundbreaking field of 3D printing. The film will premiere exclusively on Netflix later this year and will be available to stream in all territories where Netflix is available.

The film delves into the people behind the machines and asks tough questions about the industry’s creative drive to enable consumers to produce anything from trinkets to handguns. The film’s core story is rooted in the rise and challenges of start-ups MakerBot and Formlabs as they vie to release consumer models and control the narrative of their market to compete with established industrial players Stratasys and 3D Systems.

“It’s so rare for a film to capture history in the making, and Luis Lopez and Clay Tweel have done just that in their skillful presentation of the elation and betrayals experienced by young entrepreneurs detailing the groundbreaking technology of 3D printing,” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary and Comedy. “This is a compelling glimpse into a game changing technology as it nears an inflection point going from the fantasy world of a few obsessed visionaries to a must-have technology that may enter every home.”

Print The Legend was directed, shot, and edited by Luis Lopez & Clay Tweel (Make Believe, The King Of Kong) and produced by Steven Klein (Make Believe). The project was developed, produced, and financed by Chad Troutwine (Freakonomics) and Audax Films, led by co-producer Andrew Kortschak (Gore Vidal: The United States Of Amnesia) and executive producer Walter Kortschak. Dan O’Meara (By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama) also produced. Exhibit A Films, including producer Seth Gordon and executive producer Mary Rohlich, led the filmmaking team throughout and brought on longtime collaborators Tweel, Lopez, and Klein. The deal was negotiated by Liesl Copland of WME Global and the legal team at Cowan, Debaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, led by Sue Bodine, on behalf of the filmmakers.